


Moony is a Green-Eyed Monster

by byebyebluejay



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Hogwarts, Jealous Remus Lupin, Light Pining, M/M, Marauders Friendship, Marauders' Era, light language and boyish attitude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 14:11:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11853246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byebyebluejay/pseuds/byebyebluejay
Summary: There's no reason, or at least, no good reason, why Remus should feel cold and ill every time James and Sirius get close to each other. But he does anyway. Luckily, Sirius develops a decent read on just how Remus feels.For Wolfstar Introvert Prompt 16: James Potter and Sirius Black are awfully close friends. For some reason, Remus develops a pit in his stomach whenever he sees the boys display their (platonic) affection for one another.





	Moony is a Green-Eyed Monster

“Oi! Prongs! Prongsy!” 

You would think that they hadn’t seen each other in ages, the way Sirius was shouting, Remus thought as he watched Sirius bounce twice on the spot like an over-excited puppy before running full tilt at James, forcing other students filtering into the entry hall following the Christmas break to scatter away from him or risk a collision. Remus saw James’s eyes lock on Sirius, and then with a delighted shout of his own, burst into a sprint himself, tossing off his bag. It stayed suspended in midair, orbiting above James like a satellite as he and Sirius crashed together, both boys wrapping their arms around each other as though they were worried someone might drag them apart. Remus tried to ignore the sick feeling roiling in his guts, but he couldn’t quite manage to. He had returned to school only yesterday, and Sirius had been there to greet him too. But Sirius had not launched himself across the entry hall to get to Remus. They had not crashed together like they were magnetically attracted. And at no point had Sirius grabbed his face to faire la bise with him, like he was doing now to James. Enthusiastically. Two kisses for each cheek. Sirius had hugged him and kissed his cheek once, and at the time Remus had felt blissfully satisfied, but now it didn’t feel like enough. Which was a stupid thing to think. Remus could hear them talking as James threw his arm around Sirius’s shoulders and started back towards him. 

“…got me a broomstick maintenance kit. My Nimbus 1500 could use a bit of a tune-up. Still haven’t heard any word about a new model from Nimbus yet, but I hope they come out with one soon. I’d hate to have to get a Cleansweep. The styling is shite. But they’re coming out with the Six model next year, and it’s supposed to handle really well.”

“You had a better Christmas than me, then. My parents got me a stupid ring of a snake biting a lion. I’m pretty sure it’s cursed. I tried to flush it down a toilet but it didn’t work, so now it’s just there, rattling around in the u-bend,” Sirius laughed, though his grin dimmed a little as James released him from the one-armed embrace. 

“Hey Moony,” James said, opening his arms to hug Remus, “Have a good holiday?” Remus knew that whatever he was feeling wasn’t James’s fault: that he was being unfair, that he should think nothing of the exchange between Sirius and James. All the same, he couldn’t quite help that his hug was a little half-hearted. 

“It was very good, thanks,” He said, maybe a little too formally, “How was yours?” Apparently James noticed the coolness. 

Brow furrowed, he pulled back, “It was brilliant. What’s eating you, Remus?” 

“Nothing,” Remus said, maybe a little too quickly, and James’s eyebrows shot towards his hairline as he looked across at Sirius.

“Did I do something?” 

“Not that Moony’s told me, mate,” Sirius said, thumping James on the back before starting off across the entry hall for the door to the kitchens, “Maybe he’s peckish. I’m famished. Come on. Let’s go get some food.”

Charms class was full of the usual noise and chaos. Professor Flitwick was moving between the desks, providing critiques on the teacups they were meant to be putting legs on. James, ever the master at charms, was directing his tea cup in performing a lively rendition of the can-can on perfect stockinged legs, using its saucer as a skirt. Remus had managed to get his own to sprout a pair of chicken legs, and was trying to help Peter get his charm straight, as his tea cup had grown a single wiggling foot. Sirius had stopped trying to put legs on his cup. Instead, he’d transfigured the saucer into a miniature cart, and was having it speed around the table, trying to get it underfoot of James’s cup. 

“The intention is important,” Remus said to Peter, who had his wand pointed at the tea cup, and his face screwed up in concentration, “Don’t focus on the leg so much as what you want it to do. You want the tea cup to walk, so focus on that instead.”

“Alright, I’m trying,” Peter said, and as Remus watched, the foot did indeed begin changing form, the ankle lengthening into a leg, “I think it’s working…” 

“Watch out!” Sirius shouted as his cup car attempted to drift into James’s cup, which bounded over it, and slid violently fast into Peter’s cup. Remus heard it crack even before it flew off the table and shattered into a dozen pieces on the floor. Peter looked dejectedly down at the destroyed cup.

James laughed, “Ha! Nice try, Pads.”

“Whoops!” Sirius said, attention shifting from his own game to the shattered cup and waving his wand at it, “Repairo. Accio cup.” The tea cup, whole again, flew neatly into his hand, and he set it down in front of Peter. “There you are. My apologies, Mr. Wormtail.” His distraction cost him dearly, though. James’s dancing tea cup had skipped across the table to Sirius’s, and with a footballer’s grace, kicked it off the edge of the table. Sirius’s cup and saucer cracked against the stone floors, and, mouth open, Sirius turned to James. “How dare you.” 

James, grinning, ruffled up his hair, “Don’t poke the salamander if you don’t want its fire.” 

Casting a glance at Professor Flitwick to ensure that he was otherwise occupied (someone had accidentally put a pair of horribly twitching insect legs on their table instead) Sirius made a grab at James, who deftly maneuvered out of the grip and grabbed Sirius instead, getting one arm around his middle, the other hooked under his chin. Peter, distracted from the disappointment about the tea cup, hooted, and Remus, knowing it should be funny, smiled, but he didn’t feel the humor warm him, and his smile didn’t reach his eyes. James and Sirius tussled in each other’s arms, all but embracing, both of their faces bright with laughter. Remus only felt cold and excluded. Why should only James be allowed to hold Sirius like that? 

“You win, you win,” Sirius said at last, giggling rather choked by James’s head-lock. Peter was in silent fits of laughter, and Remus could not get the strange not-quite-real smile to relinquish his face. 

“As usual,” James said brightly, relinquishing Sirius, but only after first mussing up his hair. Beaming, he turned his eyes back to the other two Marauders, and his gaze stuck on Remus. “What’s wrong, Moony? Got a stomach ache?” Sirius glanced over too, gray eyes gone somewhat softer.

“Err, no,” said Remus quickly, “I was just thinking. Full moon soon.”

“In a week and a half,” James said blankly, “Not that soon.”

“I know,” Remus answered, unable to say anything else, “It feels soon.”

“Right,” James said, though he didn’t sound at all convinced. The slightest furrow formed between Sirius’s eyebrows. Remus quickly busied himself in helping Peter again.

“Cross the strands under the middle piece instead of over,” Sirius read from the small cardstock book he was holding, “Adding other small sections of hair every time you cross a piece under the middle strand.” He was seated on the edge of James’s bed, between James’s legs, as Peter and Remus played a game of Exploding Snap, though Remus couldn’t help but to keep sneaking glances over at Sirius and James, who was running his fingers through Sirius’s hair with a look of utter frustration on his face. Which made Remus doubly bothered. Why should James look so inconvenienced at the prospect of playing with Sirius’s hair with Sirius all but in his lap, and why in the world should Remus care anyway? He felt vaguely nauseous, like someone had pulled a stopper out of him, and all of his insides were swirling down a drain. 

“Is this a braid, or isn’t it a braid?” James asked, “Under?” 

“Like a braid but under, Prongs, not over. Merlin’s taint. It’s not that hard. I’d do it myself if I could see what I was doing. Look, there’s a picture!” He jabbed a finger at a picture in the book, “See? Step two.” 

“The picture’s not bloody doing anything!” James protested, “Why isn’t it moving?”

“It’s a muggle picture, moron. Lily gave me this book for Christmas.”

“Then can’t Lily do your hair?”

“She’s busy. Prefect duty.” 

James moaned, “Do you really need this done? It’s going to end up a disaster anyway.”

“I do, Jamie. It’s of supreme importance.” 

“Right. Okay. Starting over.” And James ruffled his fingers through Sirius’s hair before combing through it, root to tip, the dark, glossy strands flowing through his fingers, sleek as water, soft as silk. Unable to help himself from watching out of the corner of his eye, and barely focusing on the game, Remus soundly lost four rounds to Peter, and barely pulled away in time during his final failure, which left the smell of burning hair lingering in the room, as the minor explosion singed Remus’s fringe of curls. James, focused on his work, barely noticed, but Peter was watching him, puzzled.

“What is it, Remus? You’ve never lost four games in a row to me before. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Remus answered, but Sirius’s attention was on him in a flash.

“What? Something’s wrong with Moony?”

“Nothing’s wrong with me.”

“He’s lost four games in a row,” Peter countered, and Remus felt a dull heat leaking into his cheeks and ears.

“Four games, Moony? Are you sick?”

“No, I’m fine. I’m just tired,” Remus said. He was being ridiculous. Really ridiculous. James helping Sirius braid his hair really shouldn’t be that distracting. It shouldn’t make him feel so bitter and… envious. That was what it was, wasn’t it? Jealousy. He didn’t want James touching Sirius like that—in a way that Remus himself secretly wanted too.

“You look a little pink,” Peter commented, “Do you have a fever or something?”

“No!” Remus was sure his face was positively red now, “Just… tired. Like I said. I’m going to go to bed, I think.” And he left the dormitory for the Prefect’s bathroom as quickly as he reasonably could. It wasn’t that he wanted to take a bath. He just needed some air, and some time for his face to cool down. 

Once he got back to the dormitory, the fires had been dimmed, and the curtains around James’s bed had been drawn shut. Peter’s eyelids were drooping as he read through the final pages of the Daily Prophet, periodically nodding off, and Sirius was perched, cross-legged, in the middle of Remus’s bed, his hair still down and loose. “Hey Moony,” He said, flopping down on his back as Remus approached and stretching his arms above his head, so his fingers pressed into the headboard, “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” Remus said with a small smile as he seated himself on the edge of his bed, “But I felt fine before, too.”

“No you didn’t,” Sirius said dismissively, “Something was bothering you. I think I can help, though. Lay down.” Remus’s heart rate picked up as he made eye contact with Sirius, studying his face, but Sirius’s smile was inscrutable. After a few seconds, he obeyed, lying down on top of the blankets beside Sirius. “Good. Now close your eyes,” Sirius instructed, “Go on. No peeking.”

“What are you doing, Sirius? What is this?” Remus mumbled, but he couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement as he closed his eyes. Remus felt the mattress shift beneath him, and only just managed to keep his eyes closed. Then he could feel Sirius’s face close to his own; feel his breath against his ear. 

“Ready, Moony?” Sirius whispered, and Remus’s mouth was mysteriously cotton-dry, all at once. 

“Ready.” 

And then, in a moment, Sirius had his arms wrapped around him and they were pressed chest to chest, with Sirius’s nose against his collarbone and his hair tickling Remus’s chin, close and firm, heavy and warm. He was all but lying on top of Remus, and somehow, Remus could not imagine being more comfortable. Sirius was right, besides. Relief, cool and liquid, was flooding through him, and he soaked it up, wrapping Sirius up in his arms. 

“Mmm… Moony hugs,” Sirius mumbled against Remus’s shirt, giving Remus a tighter squeeze, “Very nice. Feel better, Moons?” 

“I—yes, I guess,” He admitted, sliding a hand up and down Sirius’s spine, “But I was fine before.”

“No you weren’t. You were jealous. Of James and me. You were jealous when I hugged him after Christmas. You were jealous when we wrestled after he broke my tea cup in charms. And you were jealous that he was braiding my hair. You’ve been a regular green-eyed monster, Moony. I’m not dumb. You should have asked me. You don’t have to be jealous of James. We can cuddle whenever you like, you know.” Remus was sure that Sirius could feel his heart beating too fast. He must. How could he miss it? They were so close.

“Oh?”

“Yes.”

For a few minutes they were quiet, Remus just enjoying the feeling of Sirius embracing him, of holding Sirius to him. The fire crackling was the only sound in the dorm for a long while, until Peter’s soft snore broke the still. Then, very quietly, Sirius spoke again, “And there’s something else that I want you to know, Moony. James is my brother. Just so you know. My _brother_. I would never… snog him or anything. Just so you know.”

“You didn’t have to tell me that,” Remus murmured, though he did feel a fresh wave of relaxation loosen all the muscles in his shoulders, and all down his back.

“I know,” Sirius murmured, nudging his nose up into the crook of Remus’s neck, “Just thought you might like to know that I would never do this with him.” And Remus squeezed Sirius tighter, and through closed eyes, smiled.


End file.
